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One fun activity is role-playing. The following activity I have only seen between a store clerk and someone wanting to return something, but you could expand to include a tour guide and a tourist (item = specific location), customs official and tourist, etc. Here it is:

Choose two students, a store clerk (or tour guide, customs official, etc.) and a customer (or tourist). One student leaves the room (this student = store clerk, tour guide, customs official, etc.). The other students decide on an object to return (or location to visit, item that's a problem, etc.). When the store clerk comes back, the customer has to return the imaginary item. However, in order to be returned, the store clerk has to guess what the item is through asking different questions. The customer responds.

This link is an example of the reverse situation (i.e. clerk knows and customer doesn't). I hope it helps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyI2vUTL-_M

Your question made me think of this one activity I did with intermediate students when I had a crazy collection of hats. I brought the hats to school, passed them out, and gave them some time to think up a biography for the imaginary person whose hat it was.

Here's a PowerPoint slide show I made of my favorite class warm-ups: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA9F7o-REIw